Battleships (WW 2) - Germany: books - Bismarck

Battleships of the Bismarck Class (Warships of the Kriegsmarine)

A volume devoted to the Kriesmarine's largest and most powerful units, the battleships Bismarck and Tirpitz, whose careers stand in stark contrast to each other - one with a glorious but short life, while the other was to spend a hunted existence in Norwegian fjords, all the time posing a threat to Allied sea communications, while attacked by everything from midget submarines to heavy bombers.

This book belongs to a series of six volumes "Warships of the Kriegsmarine", written by Gerhard Koop and illustrated by Klaus-Peter Schmolke. Each contains an account of the development of a particular class, a detailed description of the ships, with full technical details, and an outline of their service, heavily illustrated with plans, battle maps and a substantial collection of photographs.

The Battleship Bismarck

The Bismarck is perhaps the most famous - and notorious - warship ever built. Completed in 1941, the 45,000-ton German battleship sank HMS Hood, the pride of the British Navy, during one of the most sensational encounters in naval history. Following the sinking, Bismarck was chased around the North Atlantic by many units of the Royal Navy.
She was finally dispatched with gunfire and torpedoes on 27 May, less than five months after her completion. Her wreck still lies where she sank, 4,800m down and 960km off the west coast of France.

Drawing on new research and technology, this edition is the most comprehensive examination of Bismarck ever published. It includes a complete set of detailed line drawings with fully descriptive keys and full-colour 3D artwork, supported by technical details, photographs and text on the building of the ship and a record of the ship's service history.

Battleship Bismarck Manual (1936-1941) - An insight into the design, construction and operation

The Bismarck was probably the most feared Nazi German battleship of the Second World War. Angus Konstam gives readers a detailed insight into her design, combat capability and short-lived fighting career that ended in her destruction by the Royal Navy in 1941.

The anatomy of the Bismarck is examined in detail, including her construction, armoured protection, propulsion, weaponry, gunnery direction, the bridge, sensors, steering and crew quarters. Life on board is described and a final chapter reviews Robert Ballard's discovery of the wreck of the Bismarck.

Schlachtschiff Bismarck - Die Geschichte des legendären deutschen Schiffes

Als das deutsche Schlachtschiff "Bismarck" 1940 in Dienst gestellt wurde, war es das grösste und kampfstärkste Kriegsschiff, das die Welt bis dahin gesehen hatte. Diese Stärke allerdings wurde ihr zum Verhängnis, denn für die Briten war klar, dass die "Bismarck" mit allen Mitteln daran gehindert werden musste, in den Atlantik zu gelangen.

Angus Konstam erzählt in diesem Prachtband die spannende Geschichte der längst zur Legende gewordenen "Bismarck", beginnend bei ihrem Bau und Indienststellung über ihre höchstdramatische und tragisch endende erste Feindfahrt bis zur sensationellen Wiederentdeckung ihres Schiffswracks im Jahr 1989.

Killing the Bismarck - Destroying the Pride of Hitler's Fleet

In May 1941, the German battleship Bismarck, accompanied by heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen, broke out into the Atlantic, to attack Allied shipping. The Royal Navy's pursuit and subsequent destruction of Bismarck was an epic of naval warfare. In this new account of those dramatic events at the height of the Second World War, Iain Ballantyne draws extensively on the graphic eye-witness testimony of veterans, to construct a thrilling story, mainly from the point of view of the British battleships, cruisers and destroyers involved.
He describes the tense atmosphere as cruisers play a lethal cat and mouse game as they shadow Bismarck in the icy Denmark Strait. We witness the shocking destruction of the British battlecruiser Hood, in which all but three of her ship's complement were killed; an event that filled pursuing Royal Navy warships, including the battered battleship Prince of Wales, with a thirst for revenge.

While Swordfish torpedo-bombers try desperately to cripple the Bismarck, we sail in destroyers on their own daring torpedo attacks, battling mountainous seas. Finally, the author takes us into the final showdown, as battleships Rodney and King George V, supported by cruisers Norfolk and Dorsetshire, destroy the pride of Hitler's fleet. This vivid, superbly researched account portrays this epic saga through the eyes of so-called 'ordinary sailors' caught up in extraordinary events.
"Killing the Bismarck" is an outstanding read, conveying the horror and majesty of war at sea in all its cold brutality and awesome power.

"Bismarck" - A Minute-by-minute Account of the Final Hours of Germany's Greatest Battleship

The sinking of the German battleship Bismarck-a masterpiece of engineering, well-armored with a main artillery of eight 15-inch guns-was one of the most dramatic events of World War II. She left the port of Gotenhafen for her first operation on the night of 18 May 1941, yet was almost immediately discovered by Norwegian resistance and Allied air reconnaissance. British battlecruiser Hood was quickly dispatched from Scapa Flow to intercept the Bismarck, together with new battleship Prince of Wales.

They were ordered to find the ship quickly because, on their way from the USA, several large convoys were heading for Britain. On 24 May, Bismarck was found off the coast of Greenland, but the ensuing battle was disastrous for the British. The Hood was totally destroyed within minutes (only 3 crewmen surviving), and Prince of Wales was badly damaged.

The chase resumed until the German behemoth was finally caught, this time by four British capital ships supported by torpedo-bombers from the carrier Ark Royal. The icy North Atlantic roiled from the crash of shellfire and bursting explosions until finally the Bismarck collapsed, sending nearly 2,000 German sailors to a watery grave. Zetterling and Tamelander's work rests on stories from survivors and the latest historical discoveries.

The book starts with a thorough account of maritime developments from 1871 up to the era of the giant battleship, and ends with a vivid account, hour by hour, of the dramatic and fateful hunt for the mighty Bismarck, Nazi-Germany's last hope to pose a powerful surface threat to Allied convoys.